A Political Economy of Global Spectrum Governance: Interests, Institutions, and Outcomes at the ITU and WRCs

Abstract

This article develops a political economy perspective on global spectrum governance to analyze how public-interest goals, institutional design, and strategic behavior shape allocation outcomes at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRCs). Drawing on qualitative analysis of ITU processes and outcomes of recent WRCs, the authors find that global governance of electromagnetic spectrum is structured by national interests, organized stakeholders, and institutional rules, rather than a coherent global public-interest rationale. These dynamics help explain persistent conflicts over 6G spectrum, satellite systems, and interference management in an increasingly congested global spectrum environment.